At 70 years old, Israel is a triumph

The world should be standing in respect, admiration, and appreciation for the state of Israel. The reason is that despite being surrounded by barbaric nations that are hell-bent on its destruction, no nation has accomplished more in such a short time. A mere 70 years.

The success of Israel really does not make sense. A small piece of land by the Mediterranean, with few natural resources, and borders that at the time of Israel’s reestablishment were not defensible. In 1948, Israel had a population of a mere 800,000.

Mark Twain called the land of Israel “a desolate country whose soil is rich enough but has given over wholly to weeds. A silent mournful expanse. There was hardly a tree or a shrub anywhere. ‘Palestine’ sits in sackcloth and ashes. Desolate and unlovely.” At the time of Israel’s reestablishment, the prevailing consensus was that Israel (at best) would only achieve moderate success.

Seven decades later, those same detractors would not recognize Israel. Israel’s population is approaching 9 million people, and is an economic, technological and military power. Israel is a full member of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, and has diplomatic relations with over 150 countries. Israel’s exports exceeded $100 billion in 2017, mostly in the fields of technology, science, and defense. A staggering accomplishment for a small country that 70 years earlier was poor and isolated. At that time, its main exports consisted of oranges, kerosene stove tops, and false teeth.

Israel has been a leader in developing technologies that have changed and saved lives. Israeli companies include Waze, the satellite navigation app, which guides millions of people to their destination in the most efficient and safe manner, and Water-Gen LTD, a company that will help solve water shortages all over the world by extracting water from the atmosphere. Another example is the technology developed by ReWalk, which helps severely disabled people walk again. Israel’s Drip Irrigation technology has revolutionized agriculture by improving crop yields with significantly less water. There are numerous other examples that are too many to list, in fields such as cyber security, medicine, digital health, defense, and much more.

So what is next for the Jewish state? The United States (thanks to President Trump) will rightfully be moving its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem this May. The president of Guatemala, Jimmy Morales, has courageously promised to do the same shortly thereafter. The once-isolated and poor nation is (according to Israel’s Economy and Industry Ministry) about to sign free trade agreements with China, Vietnam, South Korea, India, and the Eurasian Customs Union, which is an economic bloc that consists of Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Armenia, handing the BDS Movement a crushing and humiliating defeat. The signing of a free trade agreement with Ukraine is imminent as well. In May, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu will also be meeting with his counterparts from Greece and Cyprus to discuss the building of an Eastern Mediterranean pipeline that, once complete, will allow Israel to export its newly-discovered natural gas to Europe.  

In June 2018, Prime Minister Netanyahu will make his second trip to Latin America, but this time to Brazil, a country that was once stridently in the corner of the “Palestinian” Authority. The government of Brazil has realized that it would be much more beneficial to their citizens to cooperate with Israel on water, security, and agriculture, instead of supporting a terrorist organization such as the “Palestinian” Authority, which has absolutely nothing to offer its citizens. In addition, Israel is about to conclude free trade agreements with Colombia and Panama as well.  

Despite the BDS Movement, the spread of Islamic Jew-hatred, the Israel-hating Jewish left, and being in the most dangerous region on the planet, Israel at age 70 is thriving like never before. Israel is truly a “light unto the nations,” as Theodor Herzl predicted it would be. A modern-day miracle by any standard. The people of Israel should be extremely proud of what they have accomplished in 70 short years. Israeli citizens should also be excited for the next 70 years and beyond. The sky is absolutely the limit for Israel and its people.